collage

collage

(kəläzh`, kō–) [Fr.,=pasting], technique in art consisting of cutting and pasting natural or manufactured materials to a painted or unpainted surface—hence, a work of art in this medium. The art of collage was initiated in 1912 when Picasso pasted a section of commercially printed oilcloth to his cubist painting, Still Life with Chair Caning (Mus. of Modern Art, New York City). Collage elements appear in works by Gris, Braque, Malevich, Dove, and the futurist artists. A basic means of Dada and surrealist art, it was used by Arp, Schwitters, and Ernst. Collage is related to the newer art of assemblage, in which the traditional painted canvas has been abandoned in favor of the assembling of bits of material, which are sometimes additionally painted or carved.

collage

Collage

in the fine arts, a technique involving the pasting of materials onto a surface from which they differ in color and texture. A work executed entirely by this method is also a collage. The technique is used primarily in the graphic arts to increase the emotional impact of the work’s texture and of unusual combinations of various materials. Cubists, futurists, and dadaists introduced collage as a formal experiment; they affixed pieces of fabrics, chips of wood, and bits of newspaper, photographs, and wallpaper to the canvas.

Pennsylvania House showed a more opulent collage look on a sofa covered in a deep taupe chenille satin stripe and ground, with accent pillows in a houndstooth damask and satin stripe in subdued burgundy, and a medallion tapestry in shades of both.

After several brief introductory chapters defining collage and related terms, along with a discussion of sources for collage materials, the authors move directly into the presentation of forty-seven step-by-step projects.

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